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Go thou to Richard, and good angels tend thee!—

[To Anne. Go thou to sanctuary, and good thoughts possess thee! [To Q. Elizabeth.

I to my grave, where peace and rest lie with me!
Eighty odd years of sorrow have I seen,

And each hour's joy wreck'd with a week of teen.
Elizabeth. Stay yet; look back, with me, unto the
Tower.-

Pity, you ancient stones, those tender babes,
Whom envy hath immur'd within your walls!
Rough cradle for such little pretty ones!
Rude ragged nurse! old sullen playfellow
For tender princes, use my babies well!
So foolish sorrow bids your stones farewell.

[Exeunt.

ACT IV. SCENE IV.

Margaret. I call'd thee then, vain flourish of my fortune; I call'd thee then, poor shadow, painted queen ;

The presentation of but what I was,

The flattering index of a direful pageant,
One heav'd a high, to be hurl'd down below :
A mother only mock'd with two fair babes;
A dream of what thou wast; a garish flag,
To be the aim of every dangerous shot;
A sign of dignity, a breath, a bubble;

A

queen in jest, only to fill the scene.

Where is thy husband now? where be thy brothers ?

Where be thy two sons? wherein dost thou joy?

Who sues, and kneels, and says-God save the queen?

Where be the bending peers that flatter'd thee?

Where be the thronging troops that follow'd thee?
Decline all this, and see what now thou art.
For happy wife, a most distressed widow ;
For joyful mother, one that wails the name;
For one being sued to, one that humbly sues;
For queen, a very caitiff crown'd with care;
For one that scorn'd at me, now scorn'd of me;
For one being fear'd of all, now fearing one;
For one commanding all, obey'd of none.
Thus hath the course of justice wheel'd about,
And left thee but a very prey to time;
Having no more but thought of what thou wert,
To torture thee the more, being what thou art.
Thou didst usurp my place; and dost thou not
Usurp the just proportion of my sorrow?

Now thy proud neck bears half my burden'd yoke ;
From which even here I slip my wearied head,
And leave the burden of it all on thee.

Farewell, York's wife,--and queen of sad mischance,-
These English woes shall make me smile in France.
Elizabeth. O thou well skill'd in curses, stay a while,
And teach me how to curse mine enemies.

Margaret. Forbear to sleep the night, and fast the day; Compare dead happiness with living woe;

Think that thy babes were fairer than they were,
And he, that slew them, fouler than he is :

Bettering thy loss makes the bad-causer worse;
Revolving this will teach thee how to curse.

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Richard. So.

Duchess. Either thou wilt die, by God's just ordinance Ere from this war thou turn a conqueror;

Or I with grief and extreme age shall perish,

And never look upon thy face again.

Therefore, take with thee my most heavy curse;
Which, in the day of battle, tire thee more,

Than all the complete armour that thou wear'st!
My prayers on the adverse party fight;
And there the little souls of Edward's children
Whisper the spirits of thine enemies,

And promise them success and victory.
Bloody thou art, bloody will be thy end;

Shame serves thy life, and doth thy death attend.

*

Elizabeth.

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By nothing; for this is no oath.
Thy George, profan'd, hath lost his holy honour;
Thy garter, blemish'd, pawn'd his knightly virtue;
Thy crown, usurp'd, disgrac'd his kingly glory :
If something thou would'st swear to be believ'd,
Swear then by something that thou hast not wrong'd.
Richard. Now by the world,—
Elizabeth.

'Tis full of thy foul wrongs.

Richard. My father's death,-
Elizabeth.

Thy life hath that dishonour'd.

Richard. Then, by myself,-
Elizabeth.

Richard. Why then, by God,-
Elizabeth.

Thyself is self-mis-us'd.

God's wrong is most of all.

If thou hadst fear'd to break an oath by him,
The unity, the king thy brother made,
Had not been broken, nor my brother slain.
If thou hadst fear'd to break an oath by him,

The imperial metal, circling now thy head,
Had grac'd the tender temples of my child;
And both the princes had been breathing here,
Which now, two tender bed-fellows for dust,
Thy broken faith hath made a prey for worms.
What canst thou swear by now?

ACT V. SCENE IV.

Richmond. What men of note are slain on either side? Stanley. John Duke of Norfolk, Walter Lord Ferrers, Sir Robert Brakenbury, and Sir William Brandon.

Richmond. Inter their bodies as becomes their births.
Proclaim a pardon to the soldiers fled,
That in submission will return to us;

And then, as we have ta’en the sacrament,
We will unite the white rose with the red :—
Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction,
That long hath frown'd upon their enmity !—
What traitor hears me, and says not,—Amen?
England hath long been mad, and scarr'd herself;
The brother blindly shed the brother's blood,
The father rashly slaughter'd his own son,
The son, compell'd, been butcher to the sire;
All this divided York and Lancaster,
Divided, in their dire division.—

O, now, let Richmond and Elizabeth,
The true succeeders of each royal house,
By God's fair ordinance conjoin together!
And let their heirs (God, if thy will be so)
Enrich the time to come with smooth-fac'd peace
With smiling plenty, and fair prosperous days!
Abate the edge of traitors, gracious Lord,

That would reduce these bloody days again,

And make poor England weep in streams of blood!
Let them not live to taste this land's increase,
That would with treason wound this fair land's peace!
Now civil wounds are stopp'd, peace lives again;
That she may long live here, God say—Amen!

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